Members of the Wheeler Dealers camping club enjoy camping at new places. The September campout was held at scenic Natural Falls State Park which was a first time visit for the majority of the members. The park is located near the Oklahoma/Arkansas state line just west of Siloam Springs, AR. Club hosts for the campout included Bob and Merrilee Nunnalee, Nowata and Gary and Charlotte Piersall and Larry and Elaine Stevens, Bartlesville. According to the state tourism website travelok.com Natural Falls State Park features a stunning 77-foot waterfall cascading through rock formations and creating a hidden, serene atmosphere at the bottom of a narrow V-shaped valley. Many of the members took advantage of the trail stopping at the observation platform to view the falls with other members hiking on down to the foot of the falls where another observation deck with seating is located. The beautiful scenery looks familiar to many visitors because scenes from the 1974 movie, “Where the Red Fern Grows” were filmed in the park.

Trails from the falls on down to a fishing area were challenged by some members while others took to the flatter trails near the campground.

Some members brought their bikes and traveled into nearby Springdale, Ark to ride the Razorback Regional Greenway in northwest Arkansas. The trail covers 37.5 miles of paved trail from Bella Vista to Fayetteville. The group paused for lunch at AQ Chicken which has been in the same location since 1947.

Friday members caravanned into Bentonville to tour Crystal Bridges Museum and the Walmart Museum. Crystal Bridges Museum is described as “an architectural wonder tucked into a natural ravine”. This art museum features glass walls allowing the beauty of the natural setting to show through. It features work by such noted artists as Norman Rockwell, Thomas Hart Benton, Andy Warhol and Georgia O’Keefe. Members touring the museum paused for lunch in the museum’s restaurant.

Other members toured the Walmart Museum, formerly Walton’s 5&10, located on the Bentonville Town Square. It tells the story of Sam Walton and Walmart from Sam’s youth through the business’ growth to today. A special treat was stopping next door for ice cream at The Spark Café Soda Fountain.

During the campout members also took advantage of shopping in Siloam Springs, Rogers and Bentonville and eating at local restaurants in those towns. Saturday night the group ate together at Big Whiskey in Siloam Springs. Two other evenings’ members gathered for hearty appetizers one evening and a cookout hosted by the campout hosts the other evening with members bringing side dishes.

Concluding the campout was the traditional Sunday morning potluck breakfast. Hosts for the October campout at Grand Lake shared many of the plans which included visiting Lendonwood Gardens, Har-Ber Village and an Alpaca Ranch. The final campout of the year will be in November at Brush Creek just below Keystone Dam. The club will conclude the year with a Christmas luncheon in Ponca City.

Most campouts are held in Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas or Missouri with two or more couples planning the location and campout activities which often include visiting area attractions, eating at a local restaurant, games and pot luck meals.

Wheeler Dealers monthly campouts are held weekends from March to November with only lunch or breakfast gathering in February and August and a special Christmas Party in December Current members are from Bartlesville, Nowata, Norman, Owasso, Ponca City, Sand Springs, Stillwater, and Tulsa.